Unite Students ESOS Compliance

Objectives

Unite Students are the leading provider of student accommodation in the UK, providing a home for over 46,000 students. Their large building portfolio, consisting of 138 purpose built properties, was included in the scope for ESOS assessments. As Unite was already rolling out a series of heating and lighting upgrades, they needed to identify additional areas where improvements could be made.

In addition to ESOS, Unite wished to mitigate risks from the forthcoming Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) regulations.

Project

Anthesis and Unite Students undertook a works program that met the requirements for both ESOS and MEES. A stock-modelling approach was taken, allowing Anthesis to refresh the EPCs of Unite’s properties and group them into property archetypes.

Services

• Detailed site surveys were conducted on each of the five property archetypes.
• Appropriate measures to improve energy efficiency for each archetype were identified and extrapolated across the whole buildings portfolio.

Key Project Outputs

• A report was produced clearly outlining how Unite can continue to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings.
• We also presented Unite Students with a user-friendly stock model including extensive asset level data to allow cost-effective re-modelling in future.

Impacts

The process identified approximately £150 million in lifetime savings that can be achieved if all the recommended measures are carried out. The methodical approach adopted in obtaining this figure has allowed Unite’s Energy and Environment team to present a robust business case for executive approval, placing carbon and energy savings at the centre of their operational activity. The work also puts Unite in an excellent position to comply with MEES.

The measures with the largest savings are heating upgrades and heat pumps. Unite are currently trialling air source heat pumps ahead of a wider rollout.